Question of the week: Does the natural sugar in fruit count as carbohydrate?

The following question was asked by one of my readers, "I have pre-diabetes and am trying to learn about carbohydrate and sugar. Does the sugar in fruit count as sugar?"

Yes, sugar in fruit counts as a carbohydrate - however, this does not mean that you should avoid fruit as a pre-diabetic. In fact, fruit should be a part of your diet as they are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber.

A small piece of whole fruit or approximately 1/2 cup of frozen fruit has around 15 grams of carbohydrate. One serving of fresh berries or cut melon is around 3/4-1 cup.

I would suggest avoiding fruit juice or canned fruit. Canned fruit is usually sitting in syrup and not a great choice. Dried fruit is high in sugar (although natural sugar) and only 2 tbsp is equivalent to 15 grams of carbohydrates. Fruit juices don't have the fiber content of whole fruit and only 1/3-1/2 cup is equivalent to a serving.

You can get alot more "bang" for your carbohydrate buck by eating fresh or frozen fruit. Fruit is a better choice of carbohydrate as compared to what I refer to as "empty carbohydrates" (i.e. white bread, white sugar, cookies, cake, soda).

Source: American Diabetes Associations